Chips fried in the usual way have a rather high oil content. This means a disadvantage for the producer as well as for the consumer. The producer has to replenish the oil losses which will increase the price. The consumer has to eat a product having a rather high fat content which is undesirable.
To reduce the oil content of the chips it is known to fry the slices in a first stage in hot oil to a moisture content of 3-10% by weight, to remove this product from the oil and to reduce the moisture content in a second stage to 1.5-2.5% by the additional supply of heat. Hot air and a high frequent heating method are used to get this additional heat. This will lead to a low viscosity of the adhering oil which therefor will drip off from the chips more easily. Besides the adhering oil cannot penetrate into the pores of the chips since moisture is still evaporating. An important disadvantage of the known method is the additional energy necessary to get the additional heat. Further the supply of hot air will lead to the oxidation of the oil so that the chips will become rancid rather soon.